Misconceptions
by Enigma Ladies
Summary: Hermione takes a vacation to a muggle resort, Castle Rock, which was suggested to her by Dumbledore. Unbeknownst to her, Draco has also gone to Castle Rock, in need of time to ponder his life and the choices he must soon make.
1. Welcome to Castle Rock! Sort of

**A/N: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, it's characters, and plot. She has always owned it and will always own it. We own nothing but the plotline to this fanfic and the Original Character(s). The end and enjoy!**

Chapter One: Welcome to Castle Rock!...Sortof

Hermione

I stood before the beautiful little log cabin. 'Why was I here again?' I wondered. Oh yeah, Dumbledore. I sighed and gathered up my belongings. As I made my way up the steps and onto the porch, I recalled the conversation I'd had with the head of the Order of the Phoenix last week.

_I was washing dishes after dinner at the Order's headquarters when Dumbledore entered the kitchen. I could feel his piercing blue eyes boring into my back._

"_You look tired, Hermione." He commented. I wrung out the wash rag and hung it up to dry. Then I dried my hands on a towel before turning to face him, leaning against the cabinets, "I am."_

"_Take a vacation." He said suddenly. I frowned, taking a vacation had never crossed my mind before I was to busy and there was so much going on. I didn't have time for a vacation. Besides, I couldn't afford one. Dumbledore must have sensed my hesitation. He smiled._

"_Hermione, dear, Ron and Harry are gone on a mission, you're staying here because your parents are wearing on your last nerve, but you're lonely here." He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a pamphlet. He handed it to me. It was for Castle Rock, a tourist resort. I had been there several times as a child, but it was way too pricey for me. I opened my mouth to say I didn't have the money, but Dumbledore held up his hand for silence, I shut my mouth._

"_Don't worry yourself, dear; I'll take care of it." I started to protest but he interrupted, "No, no I've already made arrangements for a reservation and a down payment on a cabin. You leave next week."_

So here I was. Standing in a quaint little cabin, so I could 'get away from it all.' I certainly was away from it. I was willing to bet I wouldn't see another witch, wizard or magical being for the next few weeks. I actually smiled. That sounded really pleasant; no magic, no Harry or Ron, who could be bothersome at times, no Voldemort and his nonsense, and best of all, no Malfoy, who had been insufferable the last few months of our 7th year. He'd also been by Headquarters several times to talk with Snape, and it almost seemed like he'd gone out of his way to be a jerk to me.

I made my way down the small entrance hall after setting my bags to the side, pictures and paintings of beautiful landscapes hung on the walls. I opened the first door on my left to discover a small den. There was a large stone fireplace with a blue throw rug before it. A soft orange and brown couch faced the fireplace; an end table with a lamp was on the left. I grimaced at the clashing colors until my attention was drawn to the right wall where a large empty bookcase sat next to a desk. The left wall had a bench between two large windows, and that was it. I was happy to see the bookcase because I had brought an entire trunk full of books. I exited the den, leaving the door open and went across the hall to another door, behind which was the dining room.

It was pretty small, and it didn't take long for me to walk around the room. I went around the little four-seater table to a swinging door in the corner. After going through that door, I was in a small, but sensible, kitchen. I was pretty good at cooking, so that pleased me. I passed through the kitchen and went back into the hall through another door. Between the door to the den and a door that I assumed led to the bedroom was a bathroom with an adjoining door. Behind **that** door, and might I add that I was getting **very** tired of doors, was the bedroom. Surprisingly enough, the bedroom was the biggest room. It had a king-sized bed with lots of pillows, and a large wardrobe, dresser, vanity, and at the foot of the bed, a chest.

The last room of the cabin was at the very end of the hall, next to the kitchen. It housed nothing but a washer and dryer.

I was famished, so I decided to unpack later and instead headed down to the mall to look around and eat.

* * *

The mall was pretty small, just like the rest of Castle Rock(_1)_, but I didn't care. I had bought some bourbon chicken from a Chinese place in the food court. It had been yummy and I was content. My birthday was next week and nothing could spoil this vacation! And then I walked into someone, knocking his hat off. I had been window shopping so I didn't see him. I picked up his hat, muttering my apologies, and handed it back to him. When I saw his face I froze. 

Platinum-blond hair, a strong nose, cold gray-blue eyes. The tall young man before me was the person I hated almost more that Voldemort himself. He was the last person I wanted to see and the last person I expected to see at a muggle tourist resort.

"Malfoy." I said coldly, "What are you doing here?" He didn't answer for a while, just glared at me. Then he smirked.

"I was about to ask you the same, mudblood." He sneered. "I'm guessing you just couldn't stay away from me, perfect pureblood that I am."

I laughed, "Yeah right, Malfoy. Keep dreaming. It's none of your business why I'm here. And I've decided I don't care why you're here." With that I left him standing there. I headed back to my cabin in a foul mood.

* * *

Draco

'Great!' I thought as the pretentious mudblood stormed off, 'Not only am I stuck in a damn muggle resort, now I've got to deal with her!' The light outside was filtering to orange and the muggles were filing in, so I decided it was time to go.

I went back to my quiet cabin. There were other around it, all of them built in the same cookie cutter form. I knew because I checked to see if anyone was "living" around me, no one was here and no one had arrived in the three days I've been here. I liked it that way. I didn't have to deal with any mudbloods, so I was able to use magic, and I had enough space to think.

Thinking…it was the whole reason why I was here, and I had done it….a lot. The part that bothered me most though was that I still didn't have any answers to the questions that have been driving me mad.

'Should I join my father, the man I hated the most, and help Voldemort rise to power, thus becoming one of the deluded Death Eaters for the rest of my life? Or should I help Snape, a respectable man, and assist the Order, going against everything I had been raised up to be? Do I abandon my mother to the whims of that hateful bastard I call Father? Do I ignore my gut and do as I'm told? Which do I hate more, Potter and the Order or my father and Voldemort? What's the best outcome? Who will get hurt in the process? What am I supposed to do?'

I stopped in front of my door and leaned my forehead against the cool wood, closing my eyes in order to help my thoughts stop from whirling around my head. I opened my eyes and stared at my feet. Something was off. I blinked and realized that a stream of light was shining across my shoes. I turned my head following the path of light to its origin. The cabin next door had its den light on, but the curtain was closed, so I couldn't see in. I scowled at the intrusion and opened my door. 'Guess someone moved in after all.'

* * *

**[1 This is not Castle Rock, Colorado it is still in England, and is just the name of the resort they are staying at. Sorry if there was confusion.**


	2. Stalkers

Chapter Two: Stalkers

Hermione

Malfoy. Here. At a muggle resort.

"What the hell?" I said to my trunk of books. I didn't usually curse like that, but it was Malfoy for Merlin's sake! Why on earth would he be here? I wondered as I flicked my wand, causing all my books to soar up and settle neatly n the book shelf. Don't worry, I had closed the drapes so any passing Muggles wouldn't see; which wouldn't happen anyway because the surrounding cabins were, to all appearances, empty.

I'd already unpacked the rest of my things, so I shoved my trunk into the corner and selected a book. I opened the window a bit to let a cool breeze in and then sprawled out on the couch to read.

I'd meant to get up an hour or two later, I swear, but the next thing I knew, it was morning and my joints were stiff. I sighed and sat up, wincing as I did so, "Owwy, owwy, owwy!"

I looked down at myself and grimaced; such a mess. I hurriedly put the book that put me to sleep away and took a much need shower. Afterwards, I dressed in jeans and a pink tank under a green button-up shirt. I left the over shirt open and tied it under my chest. Then I rolled up my sleeves, put on some hiking boots, and left to go on a nature walk.

I'd been trying to forget the fact that Malfoy was here..somewhere, and had been succeeding. Until I locked the front door behind me and walked down the front steps. I halted and stared at the cabin next door; Draco Malfoy was sitting on the bottom step in the midst of tying his shoe, staring at me. For a long time neither of us moved.

"Stop following me!" Malfoy roared all of a sudden. I glared at him and fought the urge to pull out my wand and curse him.

"Why the bloody hell would I be following you, Mal-ferret?!" I snapped back, hardly even noticing that I swore. Malfoy tended to bring out the worst in me.

He tutted and stood up, straightening his clothes. I finally noticed what he was wearing; a dark green tank that clung to his upper body, black basketball shorts that revealed pale, muscled legs, and black running shoes. "Watch your language, Granger," I heard Malfoy spit out. I forced myself to stop staring at his surprisingly toned body. He sneered at me, "And stop looking at me like that. I know you want me, but control yourself for Merlin's sake. It'll never happen."

I felt my face burn and I told myself it was because of what he said and **not** because I got caught studying his…gorgeous body. I shook that thought away; Malfoy was disgusting, not gorgeous. I walked up the small tree-lined road and passed him without a second glance. "You wish I wanted you, Malfoy," I said, "Now leave me alone."

"I'm TRYING TO!" He bellowed in frustration. I screamed wordlessly in anger and stormed off.

Ten minutes later I was walking down the narrow trail, Cane Creek, when I heard someone approaching from behind at a jog. I moved off the trail to let them pass. When I glanced to see who it was, I gasped in fury.

"Malfoy!" I hissed. He stopped and glared at me. I pointed an accusing finger at him, "Stop FOLLOWING me!"

"WOMAN!" he snarled back and walked up till our noses were inches apart, "I am NOT following you!" I've jogged this trail for the past three mornings! **You** are following **me**!"

I poked him angrily in the chest, "So what?! I didn't know that! And today, I was here FIRST!"

"Hippogriff shit!" Malfoy pretty much screamed. I opened my mouth to retort but he cut me off, "Save it, Granger! I don't want to hear it! Just stay the hell away from me!"

"Gladly!" I shrieked and pushed past him. I was furious and needed to calm down, so I went back to my cabin and took a hot shower. It helped a little, but I was still tense, so I decided to go into the small town and get a cup of coffee. Yes, coffee. It calms me down. Weird, I know.

The little café was cute and dark, yet inviting. I ordered a cup o' joe and turned to find a seat. As if magnetized, my gaze was drawn to a head of platinum blond hair. MALFOY! I looked away and walked towards an empty table in the corner. I had to walk by Malfoy's table though, and when I did I heard him mutter, "Filthy Mudblood."

I stopped and glared down at him. He smirked and sipped his drink. My eyes narrowed. "Leave me alone, Malfoy." I hissed.

"I'd love to, Granger," He smirked again, "but it would be easier if you'd stop FOLLOWING ME!"

I screamed in frustration and dumped my coffee in his lap. Then I left.

Draco

"Damn it! Hot! Hot! Hot!" I jumped out of the chair and started mopping up the scalding coffee. I grabbed some extra napkins and stormed out of the café. 'First she comes here and ruins my vacation, then she starts stalking me, and now she's ruined my favorite shirt!'

I glanced at my watch and noticed I didn't have much time to change and get to the stables. The directions on the paper said to be there at noon in order to ride at one, and it was already pushing 11:45! I ducked behind one of the buildings and apparated back to my cabin to do a quick change of clothes. I slipped on some old jeans that had a hole in the knee and and an old t-shirt. I'm going to have to get rid of this shirt soon; it's getting tight, I thought when I felt it stretching across my back as I bent down to tie on the new hiking boots I'd bought at the local general store. I may not like Muggles, but I can at least blend in with them.

I walked out the door and apparated to a location near the stables. After moving around what I'm guessing was a storage building, the fields and woods spread out before me. I sucked in my breath and the smell of the stables hit me like an unexpected curse. And the worst part? I had just noticed Granger!

"YOU!!!" I yelled, "What are you doing here Mudblood?!"

"You're following me AGAIN?! You, ferret-face, can barely ride a broom never mind a horse. So why are you here?!" She yelled, her face burning red with rage.

Now I was furious. Insulting my excellent riding skills?! HOW DARE SHE?! "Well, at least I can ride a broom! You can barely get it off the ground, you're so fat!"

Granger glared at me, "Go to hell, Malfoy. It's where you belong. And go away, I'm going riding!"

"NO!" I yelled back, "You leave!" We glared at each other for a long time. I think some of the Muggles were staring at us, but I didn't dare look away to see; this was a contest.

After about two minutes, however, I got bored with her, so I pushed past that filthy Mudblood and went to get a horse. She could leave if she didn't want to be around me; that was fine. Hell, I'd love it if she left. But I was going riding, regardless of her choice.

-x-x-x-x-

She didn't leave, and we had been arguing for the past hour and a half. We had fallen behind all the other riders and were coming back into the stables.

"You're such a pig-headed jackass, Malfoy!" she hissed, "Stop thinking you're better than everyone because you're **not**!! You're nothing better than the scum on my boot!!"

"I'M scum?!" I gasped at her, "What about your filthy grandparents?! Voldemort should have killed those damn traitors before they had your worthless squib mother!"

She gaped at me and I saw tears fill her eyes. Before they could spill down her blotchy face, she slid off her horse and threw the reigns to a person standing near-by. She ran behind a building and I heard a soft 'pop'.

I didn't mean to say it. She was just so…infuriating. I dismounted, handed the horse to its handler, and walked back to my cabin.

By the time I got back it was dark and I felt horrible. The whole way I had tried to forget the argument, but I couldn't get the hurt look on her face out of my mind. I'm not really a bad person, honest.

The lights were off in her cabin. The night was clear and the moon almost full, so it was easy to see. I sat on my cabin's front steps and hung my head in my hands.

'I've got to make this right.' I didn't know why, but I had to. 'I need to say I'm sorry.' I got up to walk over to her cabin, but didn't know what to say. She probably wouldn't have listened to me anyway. Then I noticed some flowers growing along the edge of the woods. They were such a pure white that they glowed under the moon's pale glare. I went over and picked the biggest one. I set the flower on the top step of her cabin, where I knew she would see it. 'There. I feel better.' And I turned swiftly around and went back to my cabin to crawl into bed.

* * *

**Edit: Sorry if anyone got this again, I just went through and edited some spelling and stuff that was annoying me. Also, the words between ' and ' are Draco's thoughts, not what he's saying in case there was confusion. Hearts. Lera**

**PS We tried to own Draco and Hermione but JK's lawyers came after us with torches and pitchforks so we gave them back...all we have left to remember them by is this plotline**


	3. Questionable Memories

**We would like to dedicate this chapter to The Used, because their songs are what really inspired the writing behind this chapter. Warning: This might be tough for some people to read.**

**Disclaimer: NEVER! We shall never disclaim Draco! He is ours!...screams of agony as the electric shock pulses through them Gah! You have thwarted us with these shock collars this time JK but we shall get him soon! You watch! We Will!**

**I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it is necessary as you will soon see. hearts. Lera**

* * *

Chapter Three: Questionable Memories

Hermione

I woke up in a rotten mood. I couldn't believe Malfoy had said those things to me. Though…I guess I said some pretty bad stuff as well… Regardless, he had just taken it too far.

I rolled out of bed and trudged into the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes. After my shower, I ate a quick breakfast, brushed my teeth, and headed out.

I stopped on the porch, my hand still resting lightly on the doorknob. There was a single white flower on the topmost step. I walked over and picked it up gingerly. I wondered who had put it there. Could it have been…no, he wouldn't, would he? The door to the cabin next to mine opened, and I dropped my hand, holding the flower gently as Malfoy walked onto the porch and down the steps. When he reached the road he paused and glanced at me.

"Erm…did you sleep alright?" He asked awkwardly. I licked my lips and pondered my response.

"Yes." I finally said, "Yourself?"

He lowered his eyes, "I've had better nights."

I bit back a retort; if he could find it in him to be civil, then so could I. I gave him an empty smile, "I'm sorry to hear that."

He nodded and stood there for a moment, staring off into the distance. The silence stretched on, getting more awkward with every second. Malfoy blinked and looked at me, "Have a good day."

I opened my mouth to reply but he'd already turned and jogged off. I frowned and turned towards town. What odd behavior. I wondered what was on his mind.

Draco

'I jog because I don't want to think. All I have to focus on when I jog is where my feet fall and my breathing. Simple and pure, things you don't have to think about but when you do you can't stop.'

The quote ran through my mind over and over again, and although I couldn't remember who said it, it still rang true. I didn't know where I was going, I just let me feel lead the way. I followed a single path up into the mountains. The forest was quiet and the sun was casting a soft glow above the treetops as it rose.

Then the path came to an end at the edge of a large clearing. The other end of the clearing ended in a cliff that looked out across the valley below. There wasn't a break in the forest until it reached the town down in the valley. The sun was rising above the hills bordering the opposite side of the valley.

I sat down in the soft grass to watch the sun rise, and to think about what I'm going to do. Which side do I take? My father's or Snape's?

I hated my father. I've always hated my father. My earliest memories are of my mother hiding me in a cupboard or a closet with Dobby to watch guard over me, so that when my father came home drunk or angry he would abuse her instead of me. Emotionally, mentally, physically, he'd abuse us in any way he could.

I had watched him a couple of times when he was passed out on the couch, contemplating if I should kill him or not. I could never bring myself to do it, for it would also kill my mother. No matter how many times he hurt her, she still loved him. I never could understand why.

It was because of my love for my mother that I was in this dilemma. She wanted me to become a Death Eater and join her and my father in their assistance to Voldemort. But was it worth it?

They are Voldemort's puppets, bending to his every whim, and he repays them for their troubles by treating them like dirt. Did I want to be under someone else's control? Did I want to be someone else's tool and garbage for the rest of my life?

At least Snape was taking a stand, working as an undercover spy for Dumbledore I didn't agree with Dumbledore's ideals, but even I had to admit he was smart. I respected Snape because he respected me and had never led me wrong with his advice. He never thought I was a waste.

But could I abandon the people I cared about? The people who were there for me at my worst of times? My mom? My friends?

My friends…

_I hugged the porcelain bowl as if it were a long lost lover as I emptied the contents of my stomach into its depths._

_It had only been a small pill, something that seemed harmless. The muggle called it ecstasy; I was told it'd make me forget. It did, for a little while, but it sent me on a whirlwind of a ride. The whole bottle of wine seemed like a good idea when I was on the stupid pill. But now I'm sitting here, puking my brains out, regretting everything I've done._

_I heard the door open, but didn't dare look up as I felt another wave of bile rushing to escape into the now filthy, foul smelling water below. Suddenly I felt a large hand on my back, and the water in the sink started running._

"_It's alright, Draco." Crabbe said at my back._

"_Just let it out, man." Goyle added on from the sink._

_Once my stomach had been emptied and my dry heaves had subsided, Crabbe gently pulled me away from the toilet, leaning me against the tub. He shut the lid and flushed the toilet as Goyle handed me a glass of water and a cold washcloth._

_Crabbe sat on the toilet lid on my left and Goyle sat on the edge of the tub on my right. 'It's not like everyone thinks.' I thought to myself as tears started to fill my eyes, 'These guys aren't my cronies. They're my friends.'_

_Crabbe and Goyle had been watching me and when they noticed the tears, Goyle patted me on the back and Crabbe said, "It's ok. We're here for you."_

_And then, I cried._

I wiped away the tears that had formed and slid down my face.

It wasn't long after that night that they had come back and showed me the burned dark mark on their arms.

"Oh, what will I do?" I cried in despair.


	4. Friends and Enemies

**G: The whole story was started with this chapter when the two of us went four-wheeling, and we wanted to write a story about Hermione and Draco going four-wheeling.**

**L: Genie basically had the same reaction as Draco when she first went four-wheeling with me. It was funny. She did this subconsciously actually.**

**G: Wow! I did, didn't I? I didn't realize that!**

**Disclaimer: We attempted to sneak into the castle and nab Draco and Hermione so we could actually play out the scenes in real life but were thwarted by JK's dragon dogs that were guarding the rooms and are now hanging by chains in her dungeon. She can steal our dignity, but she can never steal our plot line (or our sanity, that was thrown out the window a long time ago).**

* * *

Chapter Four: Friends and Enemies

Hermione

I didn't see Malfoy all yesterday, after our odd conversation. And, despite my gradually dissipating hatred for the handsome blond, I was very curious about his day. I decided to be brave, and nice, and ask him about it the next time I was him. So I made myself breakfast, got ready, and left the cabin actually hoping to see Draco. But just a little.

Draco was sitting on the top step of his porch, gazing up into the morning sky. I watched him for a few seconds before walking out into the road, "What are you doing?"

He blinked and looked at me, his expression placid, "Nothing, really. Just thinking."

"Ah." I walked over until I was in front of him. "Did you have an OK day yesterday?" 

He nodded absently. This was harder than I thought. "So what'd you do then?"

"I found a nice area to sit down and just…contemplate my life." He sighed tiredly and looked at me, "What did you do?"

"Went on a nature walk, spent some time at the café, and looked around the bookstore." I smiled wistfully as I remembered my afternoon amongst the glorious books.

"Did you get anything?" he asked and I was jerked out of my memory and back to reality.

"Oh, no. No. Too pricy for me." I said, waving my hand dismissively, then sighed and smiled warmly, "Though I wish I could have…they have a wonderful selection of great books." 

"Ah." He smiled, "What are you doing today?"

I smiled genuinely, for we were **actually** getting along, "Going four-wheeling after my walk."

Curiosity flickered across Draco's face, which looked very nice when it wasn't screwed up into a sneer or scowl. "What's….four-wheeling?" 

I felt my mouth fall open in a gape, "You've **never** been four-wheeling before?"

Draco frowned, "Well, I don't even know what it is! How could I have done it when I don't know what it is?"

"Well then." I said decisively, "After your jog come find me at my cabin." 

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why…?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Duh! You're going four-wheeling with me!"

* * *

When the knock sounded at the front door, I hurried down the hall and stopped to check my hair in the mirror. It was pulled back in a ponytail at the base of my neck and looked a little severe, so I pulled a few tendrils down to soften it. Wait…what am I doing? I don't care if Malfoy thinks I'm pretty. I tucked the loose hair behind my ears and answered the door.

Draco was wearing a **very** form fitting black tank top that made his fair skin look white, camouflage pants, and hiking boots. I grabbed my leather jacket to throw on over my blue t-shirt and jeans. "Ready?" I asked.

"Sure." He shrugged, plunging his hands into his pockets. I reached out to touch his arm and hesitated. Then thought, screw it, and touched him with my finger before thinking of our destination. With a strange, 'pop', we were in the woods near the four-wheeling area.

I led the way down a hill to a small warehouse with four-wheelers lined against the side of the building. Behind the warehouse was an open valley lined with trees. Dirt paths led over jumps and into the woods. I was instantly excited.

After redeeming a "four-wheeler for a day" with a coupon, I tossed a helmet to Draco and led the way back out into the bright sun. I skillfully put on my helmet and strapped it up securely. Watching Draco put the helmet on was extremely entertaining. He struggled with it for almost a full minute before I laughed and helped. After making sure his helmet wouldn't slip off, I swung onto the four-wheeler assigned to us and started it up. I glanced at Draco who was standing awkwardly nearby.

"Well?" I asked in a muffled voice, "Get on."

"Where?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Behind me, where else?" I couldn't tell if he frowned but I was willing to bet he did. I sighed loudly in frustration, "Just get on, Draco." 

He started to get on behind me uneasily, and then paused, "Did you just call me Draco?" I thought about it for a moment and honestly couldn't remember.

"I don't think so." I said with a frown and then shrugged. Draco eased on behind me and was obviously trying not to touch me too much. I glanced back to see him leaning away from me, gripping the metal rack behind him.

"No." I sighed, and reached around to grab his hands, placing them on my waist, "You have to hold onto me. Holding the rack isn't safe."

"The what?" He gasped, resting his hands lightly on my waist.

"Oh, never mind!" I exclaimed and gunned it. I felt him grip onto my jacket and lurch backwards as he screamed like a little girl.

"STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!" He shrieked behind me. I screeched to a halt, his panting loud in my ear, "Do you even know what the HELL you're doing?"

I turned a bit so he could hear me, "Yes. Now hold on." Without waiting for a response, I turned back and sped off. Draco squeaked once and wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. I laughed and went up a hill, turned around when I reached the top, and shot down the hill at mind-boggling speed over smaller hills and jumps. When I reached the bottom I skidded to a stop to make sure Draco was alright, who had screamed a little after every jump and hadn't loosened his grip.

"Why'd you stop?" he breathed in my ear. I twisted around so I could look at him. Laughter sparkled in his grey eyes and I giggled. He laughed along with me and I drove off into the woods.

* * *

After two and a half hours of non-stop four-wheeling, we decided to call it a day and get some lunch at the café. When we entered the small restaurant, laughing loudly despite our sore backs, we received dirty looks from the locals. Oh well.

Draco led me to a table, asked what I wanted, and went to order. I sat at the table waiting, totally on Could Nine. This had been the best day I'd had in a long time, and it had been spent with Draco Malfoy! The best part was it was only halfway over! I wondered what we'd do after lunch. Who'da thunk Draco Malfoy and I could be friends?

Draco came back with out sandwiches and coffees. We sat for a bit in silence, munching away, when someone came up beside the table. I blinked up at her.

She was tall, slim, but voluptuous. Bright blue eyes sparkled from behind short, straight black hair. "Hi" she said with a sultry smile, "I'm Elira Iraen."

"Um…I'm Draco Malfoy and this is…" the blond sitting across from me glanced my way, "my friend, Hermione Granger."

I smiled at him, and then looked up to Elira with a frown. There was something about her that was…unsettling. She pulled up a chair, uninvited might I add, and sat down with a sweet smile, "you two aren't Muggles, are you?"

I gaped at her. Surely she wasn't a witch. "No." I heard Draco say. I shot him a dirty look, but he was studying Elira. Why did that get on my nerves…? He smiled at he, "How'd you know?"

"Well, I hate Muggles." Elira said with a sniff, sticking out her left arm, wrist up. She tugged the wristband farther up her arm, revealing a tattoo of an M with a lightning bolt through it. I felt my back stiffen. She began to cover the tattoo up again, "So, I've learned how to pick out witches and wizards. I recognize your name Draco Malfoy. You come from a long line of purebloods, like myself, but I don't recognize yours, Hermione Granger."

When she turned to me with a smug grin I frowned, "Don't worry yourself about it." I said with a sniff and stood, "But I have to go. See you later, Draco." 

I left after frowning at Elira and smiling at Draco, but as I left the café I felt crushed. Draco and I were finally getting along and then some new pureblood prick had to come in. I was sure if she found out I was Muggle-born she'd hate me and turn what little part of Draco that didn't hate me, against me.


	5. A Series of Unpredictable Events

****

Enjoy this next chapter, erry'bawdy!!

**And we are _still_ attempting to kidnap Draco and Hermione to make them ours, BWAHAHAHAHA! But stupid JK Rowling and her flying monkeys of DOOM prevent us from doing so! Darn you JK Rowling for owning them AND the Harry Potter series! -Genie sniffs- I want...Draco... -Lera pats her back- It'll be okay. We shall get them MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! -cough cough-**

* * *

Chapter Five: A Series of Unpredictable Events

Draco

I stood at the bottom of the steps waiting for her to come out. She left yesterday in such a hurry I wasn't able to follow her. Elira had followed me out after I had gotten up to go after Hermione.

Merlin, that woman could talk forever about herself and how Muggles are so horrible. I swear she must be related to Voldemort or something.

Suddenly the door opened and Hermione stepped out. She wore a baggy, light brown t-shirt tucked in the front of her jeans and hanging out the back. Her hair was pulled up into a mussy 'I just woke up' bun. At least, that's what my favorite cousin Annelie, called it.

"Good morning." She said, coming down the steps. I tilted my head to the side a little, still looking at her. "What? Is something wrong?" she asked, looking down at herself.

"Nothing." I said. She looked good, and I had just realized why. "You look good." I said as I turned away to start walking. 'She isn't trying at all, but she still looks good.' It was an intriguing thought.

"Um...thanks." She sounded a little confused and I was willing to bet she was blushing a little. She followed me and we walked together down the nature trails.

"So...did you have fun with Elira?" she questioned cautiously, nearly spitting out the name.

"Eh..." I shrugged, "She's just like the rest. I've heard it all before."

"Do you agree with them?" Hermione pushed.

'Why did I want her to come again?' I walked in silence for a minute, contemplating. "That's what I'm here to find out."

"Oh." She said and didn't push it further. I could tell she wanted to know more, but I wasn't ready to say anything. There were still things to figure out.

I could feel her staring at me and when I turned to look at her there was a mischievous glitter in her eyes. Before I could open my mouth, her hand shot out and poked me. I jumped.

"Ah..." she exclaimed, "so you _are_ ticklish!" Oh. No. She. Did. Not. That's one of the things **no one** finds out.

"You will pay." I growled. She gave a squeak and took off back towards the cabins. I gave chase.

'She's fast.' But I was faster. I tackled her outside the cabins and began tickling her furiously. She laughed. 'So she's ticklish too!' The only problem was she fought back. Her first attempt was to push me off and when that didn't work...she tickled back.

I jumped up to try to escape and instead fell flat on my face. Hermione had grabbed my ankle and jumped on my back. I flailed as she tickled me, squirming to escape.

At some point during my antics, I had flipped around on my back. When she stopped to let me have a breath, we realized the position we were in. She blushed deeply and jumped up, scooting towards her cabin. I got up awkwardly and stood, shuffling my feet, looking anywhere but at her.

And then...my stomach growled. Really loud. We couldn't help it. We started to laugh, both of us grateful for the awkward moment to be over.

"You want some food." She said, turning around to enter her cabin. It was a statement, not a question, but I answered anyway.

"Yeah." And then I followed her inside

Hermione

I fidgeted with the bag of flour as the gas stove heated up, constantly aware of Draco's piercing, grey-blue eyes on my back. The entire time I had prepped and mixed the batter, he had watched me silently. It was almost unnerving.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when he asked, "What are you making?"

"Pancakes," I replied, "Blueberry pancakes."

"Are they good?"

I almost dropped the whisk. I turned slowly to stare at him with wide eyes, "Are you saying you've _never_ had blueberry pancakes?"

"Well," Draco murmured, ducking his head guiltily, "Honestly, I've never had pancakes of any kind before. Mother always had eggs benedict or some other fancy meal made for me."

I was openly gaping now. _Never _had pancakes?! That...that's unheard of, absurd! What kind of mother wouldn't make their son **pancakes**? I turned away without another word. What could I say? ...Exactly. There was nothing _to_ say to that. So I concentrated on buttering up the pan and pouring the batter. The silence was wearing on my nerves, so while the first pancake cooked, I got out some syrup and set the bottle by Draco's plate.

"What's this?" he asked bluntly. I slapped my palm on my forehead. OW! Too hard! I rubbed my throbbing head and stared at him.

"It's _syrup_. It's like--" I thought about it and realized I had no clue how to describe syrup. "I don't know, just try it."

I turned back to the stove to flip the pancake and heard the lid of the syrup pop. When Draco exclaimed happily, I had to fight back a giggle. I put the pancake on a plate and turned to hand it to him, almost dropping the plate when I saw Draco with two fingers in his mouth and syrup running down his chin. I practically threw the plate on the table and fell down on the floor laughing at his 'wudIdo?' expression.

"Well then," I gasped, using the table to pull myself up. I slid the plate across the table to him, "Try putting the syrup on the pancake instead of you, this time."

"Whatever." He scowled, though I could tell he was fighting back a smile. He wiped his hand off on a napkin before putting a little bit of syrup on the edge of the pancake. I watched him carefully cut a piece off with his fork and gingerly put it in his mouth. His expression was serene, "THIS IS AWESOME, HERMIONE!"

I blushed and bowed before turning back to make a pancake for myself, "Thanks!" I said genuinely, "I had to cook a lot at home. Besides, I like it so I try to do it as much as possible."

Draco didn't respond. I could only hear a 'mrawm-mrawm-mrawm' as he ate the pancake. It made me so happy to know he liked it! "So..." I smiled and flipped the pancake, "Do you want to go play mini-golf?"

"What's mini-golf?" Draco asked after swallowing. I turned slowly and stared at him. He shrugged. I gave him a devious look and then laughed maniacally as he shrank down in his seat.

* * *

"Bwahahahahaha!" I pumped my fist in the air, "Beat THAT!"

"How the bloody hell do you _do_ that?" Draco gaped at me; his arms limp at his side. I had gotten _another_ hole-in-one.

"Practice, sir." I winked at him and turned to walk on to the next hole before calling over my shoulder, "I'm good with hard rods and balls." He started to choke and I grinned. Men are so easy.

We arrived at the final hole and I stepped back to let him do his worst. So far he'd lost three balls in the water. He put his little golf ball on the marker and lined up, muttering to himself how none of it was fair and that being beat by a girl was stupid. I just snickered and watched him wail on the ball. It bounced four times, ricocheted off the corner, shot around the big rock obstacle, hit the hole so hard it popped up in the air and flew past it, knocked into the wooden barrier, and rolled back into the hole. My mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

"HA!" Draco bellowed after a minute of stunned silence from the both of us. He turned back to me with a grin, "Beat that!"

"That was SO COOL!" I jumped up and down and ran over to high-five him. I poked him in the side instead, causing him to squirm, "Too bad it was dumb luck!"

"Was not." He grinned and stepped off to the side.

"Let's compare our scores..." I smirked and tapped my ball. It hit all the right places and went in. I stuck out my tongue and skipped away laughing.

Fifteen minutes later we sat in a small restaurant by the public pool. We had packed our bathing suits and planned on going swimming. I will admit I was a bit...anxious to be seen in my bikini. I'm a bit self-conscious of my body.

Draco

I could tell she was nervous...about...something. I just couldn't figure out what. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked sympathetically.

"Hm?" she looked up from where she was fiddling with her napkin, "Oh...nothing." She went back to fiddling with her napkin.

"Yes it is something." I reached across the table and gently took the napkin from her, "It's ok. Just tell me." She avoided my gaze. "What? You afraid you'll fall in love with me once you see me in a bathing suit?" I smirked.

"Tch...no." She scoffed smiling, "I'm just nervous." A slight blush accented her cheeks. 'Wow...cute.'

"About?" I pushed.

"Swimming." She blushed deeper and looked down again.

"Why?" I asked slightly shocked. She had already told me about her beach vacations so I knew she could swim. 'Why would she be nervous about swimming?'

"Can we just drop it? Please?" She was getting a little annoyed.

"Ok, Ok. Let's go swimming then." I grabbed my bag and slid out of the booth.

"But the food-

"Doesn't matter." I cut her off, grabbing her wrist, tugging her along. 'I'm getting to the bottom of this one way or another.' Hermione began to protest but I ignored her.

Keeping hold of her wrist I lead her out of the restaurant and over to the changing area inside the public pool's fencing. "Go change. I'll wait here. So hurry up."

"But you have to change too." Hermione crossed her arms and looked at me, a glitter of triumph in her eyes.

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for thinking ahead. "Oh really?" I kicked off my sandals as I tugged off my shirt. Tossing it onto the bag at my feet, I reached down and quickly took off my shorts. "There." I crossed my arms, mimicking her, now standing in only my swim trunks. "Your turn."

She stomped her foot turned and stormed into the changing rooms.

I chuckled and gathered my things. Placing them on a nearby lawn chair I sat down to wait for her.

It didn't take her long before she came cautiously out, her towel wrapped tightly around her. Her hair was tumbling in curls around her face and over her shoulders. 'Why am I noticing these things?'

She placed her bag next to mine. "You can't swim with a towel on." I said, gesturing to the beach towel.

Hermione bit her lip and looked at the water. With a sigh she reluctantly took off the towel. My breath caught when I saw what she was wearing. A black string bikini top with little multicolored hearts covering it, and scandalous matching bikini shorts. 'Wow! Damn! She's...hot!...Uh-oh.'

"You look great." I said as I started moving towards the water. That beautiful cold, cold water.

"Um...thanks." She said blushing deeply.

I stepped off the edge of the pool and sunk up to my belly button in water. 'Ahh...whew. Too close!' I turned around and realized that she hadn't followed me in. "Come on. Let's go!" I called out to her.

"I'll stay here for a little while." She called back. 'Merlin that woman is insufferable.'

I ducked my head under water and slicked my hair back. Hopping up out of the pool I made my way back to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously. I grabbed her wrist as she tried to scoot away and pulled her into a standing position. Sweeping her up in my arms I carried the kicking, protesting girl over to the deep end.

"MALFOY! DON'T YOU DARE JUMP IN THERE!"

I flashed a devious smile at her. "Hold on beautiful." I pecked her on the cheek, and jumped in.

'Shitshitshitshitshit!' I swam quickly to the ladder and got out. 'Fuck! I shouldn't have done that!' I turned and saw her sputtering. 'Must do something.' I placed my hands on my hips and lighted at her.

She shot a death glare at me and swam to the ladder. 'Uh-Oh!' I scooted to the side of the ladder as she exited the pool. Her flaming brown eyes never leaving mine. "Who do you think you are?" She asked with revenge in her voice.

"UM..." but before I could answer she pushed me into the pool. I came back up sputtering. She was laughing at me. 'Thank the ends of Merlin's Beard. She didn't take it as anything.' She jumped in, splashing me as she did so. I splashed her back as she came up.

"Oh it's on." She said sending a wave my way.

We played around in the pool for a good hour before my stomach gave a grumble. "Hey, want to go get a snack at the stand over there?" I asked.

"Sure." We swam over to the shallow end and exited the pool. Grabbing our towels from the chair where we left them, we dried off as we went over to the stand.

While standing in line someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Hello Draco." A silky voice said behind me. I groaned inwardly and turned to face Elira.

"Hey." I put a fake smile on. I needed to keep up appearances so she wouldn't tell my parents where I was.

She wore a very revealing red string bikini and had a supermodel's body. Yet her attitude was so repulsing she didn't intrigue me at all. I could feel Hermione fuming beside me, not daring to look around I kept my attention on Elira. 'Maybe I can get her to go away quickly.'

"So...what's up?" I asked reluctantly. 'Best find out what she wants now rather than later.'

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking we should get together again. I had such a great time talking with you the other day and thought we should do it again." She stepped closer to me and started to run her fingers up my arm. I subtly took my arm away from her fingers.

"Maybe later. I've got plans today."

"Aw...you sure you can't take some time off for me?" She batted her eyelashes. I shrugged. "Well...ok. If you ever need me, I'm staying in town." She smiled and sauntered away. Before I turned to look for Hermione I noticed the tattoo on her back. It was a horntail dragon eating a snake that was slithering from a skull clutched in the dragon's claw. 'Whoa! Yeah, definitely not a Voldemort fan.'

I turned and wasn't surprised when Hermione wasn't by my side. I saw her exiting the changing rooms fully dressed. I rushed over to her. "Hey, hey, hey! Where're you going?"

"Leaving. What? You're not spending some quality time with that woman?!" She snapped.

"No. Look, I don't want to be around her." She looked away from me. I took her gently by the elbows and looked her strait in the eye. "'Mione? Please?" I begged a little, using the nickname I had heard Potter and Weasley use when they wanted something from her.

She looked at me for a moment, then, "Fine."

"Great. I know how to make it up to you. Just wait here. Don't move." I rambled excitedly, before rushing to get my bag and go change.

I came out of the changing room minutes later to find her waiting for me. I smiled as I approached her.

"Ok, now what?" She asked.

"Follow me." I lead her down a couple of blocks to the café and entered. I had her take a seat and went to order for us.

When I sat back down she excused herself to go to the bathroom. I saw an abandoned pen on the table next to the wall. Picking it up I looked down at my napkin. It had been a long time since I had been inspired, too many thoughts floating around, but I felt the need right then. So I put the pen to the napkin and wrote.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and quickly flipped the napkin over, slipping the pen into my short's pocket. Hermione slid back into the booth and smiled at me.

"So what are we getting?" she asked.

"It's a surprise." I smiled back happily. 'I don't know what it is about her, but she makes me feel good.'

"Number 28." A voice called from the counter. I stood and went to get our stuff.

Hermione

I watched Draco go to retrieve our...whatever it was. 'Nice...backside,' I thought with a smile as he walked off. Then I shook my head and lowered my gaze. I was being silly. There was no way I was becoming attracted to _Draco Malfoy_. It was ridiculous. And even if I _did_ start to...dare I say it...LIKE him, it wouldn't amount to anything; he would never feel the same.

But that kiss on the cheek.

I shook my head again and noticed a napkin on the floor. I remembered it falling off the table when Draco got up to leave. Snatching it up quickly, I realized there was writing on it.

_I slipped in through the window  
__Upon the summer breeze  
__And left the full moon guarding  
__The night upon the seas_

My mouth formed a perfect 'O'. Draco had to have written this. I had seen his handwriting a lot in school and this was it.

And I loved it. What he wrote was beyond beautiful. 'I didn't know he was a writer...' I pondered as I slipped the napkin into my bag. I was going to test it that night to make sure it really was Draco who had written it. If so...I would be amazed. Who knew Draco was a writer?

A large mug and plate was set before me on the table, "Here you go!" Draco chirped and sat down across from me. "A huge ass chocolate chip cookie and hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon."

I stared at the smorgasbord before me. It all looked so yummy! I thought about asking him then and there about the poem but...it just didn't seem like the appropriate time. So I sat back and enjoyed my cookie and chocolate, praying I wouldn't be hyped up for the next few hours.

* * *

I stared at the piece of parchment before me, thinking about what I was planning on doing.

After testing the napkin with several spells, I had discovered that it indeed was Draco who had written the poem. So, on a whim, I had grabbed a piece of parchment and transferred the little stanza over.

And I really wanted to write. To continue it. But that didn't seem right, did it? I chewed on my bottom lip and bent over to write. The words seemed to flow from the quill and I soon had an entire stanza written. I paused and considered writing more. 'I wonder if Draco is still awake...' I thought and tip-toed to the window to take a peek. His cabin was dark. I sighed and went back to the parchment. I scrunched up my face and tried to figure out what to do.

And then an idea hit me like a bludger. I snatched up the parchment and dashed out the door, making my way silently over to Draco's cabin. Kneeling in front of the door, I folded the parchment in half and carefully slid it under the door till I couldn't see it.

Satisfied, I stood and crept back to my own cabin, wondering what would happen the next day. What an odd vacation.

**

* * *

**

A/N: OKIEEEEES! Yay for this chapter! Please review for us, eh?! We love the readers!

**Oh. And Lera wrote that stanza of the poem. She rocks, no?**


	6. Letting Go

**Disclaimer: (insert witty disclaimer for JK doing something awful to us because we are trying to steal her characters here)**

**Genie is tired and Lera is lazy, can't you tell?**

* * *

Chapter Six: Letting Go

Draco

I woke up, bleary eyed and dragged myself out of bed. Taking a lukewarm shower, I finally woke up. It's the only way I could wake up. Hot showers put me to sleep and cold showers are just torture.

I grabbed an old t-shirt from the bureau and contemplated jeans or jogging shorts. Unable to make a decision, I closed my eyes, spun around ounce, and shoved my hand in the drawer, pulling out the first thing my hand closed in on. 'Jeans it is!' I put them on over my boxers, never was a briefs man, and pulled my socks on.

I walked out to the door to get my sneakers and saw a slip of parchment on the floor. Curious, I picked it up and opened it.

_I slipped in through the window  
__Upon the summer breeze  
__And left the full moon guarding  
__The night upon the seas_

I blushed deeply when I realized it was my writing from yesterday. 'I thought I lost this!' I kept reading and noticed in shock that it had been continued.

_I danced a lonely dance  
__Within my lighthouse tower  
__I never knew another world  
__Till I saw a pure white flower_

I recognized Hermione's neat, even writing and blushed again. 'So, she knows. But…she didn't say anything.'

I took the poem to the table and red it over and over again. 'Should I confront her? She obviously doesn't want to talk about it face to face. …It is beautiful. Should I respond…?' I read it one more time and pulled out the pen I had found. 'It doesn't _feel_ finished.'

I wrote quickly and folded the parchment back up. Shoving my shoes on I left to go place it under her door.

I walked swiftly and quietly up the stairs and as I bent down to place it under the door, I heard the handle turn. Shooting upright, I shoved the parchment into my back pocket.

I stared awkwardly into Hermione's shocked face and felt my own face get hot. "Um…hi," I did a little wave. 'Merlin I look guilty.' And at that moment my stomach growled, and I blushed deeper. 'Bloody hell! Why is it always like this?!'

Hermione blushed a little and grinned, "oh, so it's food you want." She stepped back and held the door open.

I shuffled in embarrassedly, "Thank you," I mumbled.

She closed the door behind me and lead the way to the kitchen, "We have to stop meeting like this," she teased as I sat down on a bar stool at the small island.

"No kidding. So what are we having this morning?"

"Bull's eye," she stated as she started mussing around with stuff.

'What?' I was tempted to ask, but had been embarrassed enough yesterday. So I let her do her thing.

Once she was done cooking, she turned and placed two pieces of toast in front of me. Each had a circle cut in the middle with an egg in it. I cut off a little piece and popped it in my mouth. 'Great Merlin this is amazing!' I quickly popped the next piece in my mouth and closed my eyes, reveling in the taste.

"That's it! It's final! You are cooking for me for the rest of our lives!" I slapped my hand down on the table and continued eating.

"Hermione laughed, "I'm sure you'd get bored of my simple cooking soon."

I shook my head and pointed my fork at her, "Ud up!" I swallowed and continued, "This is awesome." And I stabbed another piece.

Hermione chuckled, "So what do you want to do today?"

I thought a minute, chewing slowly and looking at my plate. 'I don't want to do anything we've done before…I don't want to go to town either.' I swallowed and looked up at her. Her deep brown eyes locked with mine and I felt my pulse quicken. I looked away quickly and regained my composure.

Looking back I grinned sweetly, like I used to as a child to get what I wanted, "Could we just talk today?"

"Alright," she paused for a moment, "How about a picnic?"

"Sounds good to me. I know this great place."

She gathered our now empty plates and glasses and placed them in the sink. "What would you like to eat?" she asked as she pulled out different foods and a picnic basket.

"Surprise me," I smiled at her back. She looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. Seeing my smile she turned back around.

"Okay."

-x-x-x-x-x-

We were ready to go not long after that, laden down with the full basket and a blanket.

As we were walking out the door, I remembered the parchment in my pocket.

"Hang on a sec, I forgot something," I rushed back into the kitchen and placed the parchment on the counter.

I came back out and found her standing there. She looked at me questioningly. "Okay, let's go," I said quickly before she could ask anything.

She smiled, letting my odd behavior go, and turned, walking out the door.

Hermione

My eyes kept darting over to Draco, who was laying on his back beside me. We had eaten a relaxed lunch of rotisserie chicken, lettuce and mayo sandwhiches on whole wheat bread, green grapes, strawberries, and water. . After cleaning up, Draco had laid down for a nap. And I couldn't stop _looking_ at him. It was _so_ frustrating. So I started making a flower necklace out of small white lilies.

"Here," Draco murmured sleepily, sticking a flower under my nose. I glanced from it to the completed necklace in my lap. I smiled and took the flower anyway, tucking it behind my ear as he sat up.

"Thanks," I dazzled him with a smile before slipping the 'necklace' over his head. It looked funny against his close-fitting, faded black shirt that showed off his muscles. He smiled at me before turning serious.

"I'm sorry about the comment I made the other day…" he ducked his head guiltily, "about your mother and grandparents."

"It's alright," I said softly.

"No, it's not," he sighed, "I don't know anything about your family. I shouldn't talk about stuff I don't know about."

I looked away from him to study the valley spread out before us. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, "My grandparents, as you may already know, were excellent sorcerers. They were purebloods and proud of their work and achievements. And then Grandmother got pregnant.

"The community was in an uproar when they found out. Everyone knew the child would be a master wizard or witch. Only…when she was old enough to show her 'wizarding potential', they discovered she wasn't what they expected…"

"…A squib?" Draco guessed tentatively.

I shook my head, "No, not that. My mother just…isn't as perfect as they wanted her to be. So, when she was fifteen, they disowned her. Her best friend immediately convinced his parents to let her live with them, and she did. Eventually, because they were so close to begin with, Mother fell in love with Dad and a few years after they graduated from a muggle school, they got married. My grandparents didn't come to the wedding or even talk to my mom. I think they hated the fact that she married a muggle. And then Voldemort killed them.

"I never knew them, so I don't feel the loss," I sighed, "But my mother did. Despite how they treated them, she still loved them deeply."

"That's…cruel," Draco said softly, "It seems I'm not the only broken record…"

I looked at him inquisitively, "Draco…what are you talking about?"

Draco

"I didn't exactly have the happiest childhood." I glared out at the valley before sighing and laying back in the cool green grass. I had moved because the blanket was making me itch.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a concerned voice, "What happened?"

I didn't respond for a long time. Then I closed my eyes and put my arm over them, shuddering. "I'm sorry. I haven't told anyone about it. The only people who know were the ones involved. It's just hard."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said quickly. "Never mind then."

I looked over at her, moving my arm down to my chest. "No…it's ok…It's time to tell someone. Face the past for what it is."

"My dear old man isn't the sweetest chocolate in the box." I spat out sarcastically. "People assume I'm close to my dad because I want to be like him…but that's not it….how does the saying go, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer?' It's more along the lines of that."

"On a daily basis he would come home angry, drunk, or both. And he would often take that anger out on the first thing that crossed his path. My mother had to start hiding me in cupboards or closets so that I wouldn't get hurt. She took the blows in stride and used simple magic to cover it all up. She could've given Madam Pomfery a run for her money."

Hermione was looking at me in horror.

"It gets worse. He didn't just beat us, he manipulated us, degraded us, shoved us so far down in the shit that at times it looked like there was no hope of us digging our way out. And my mother continues to love him no matter what he does to her."

"The students at school assume I'm a cold hearted bastard, I know. But I have to be in order to keep my father content. Crabbe and Goyle know this, they got involved because of our parents relationships as deatheaters. They've helped me along the way, taking the blame for things when I needed it and things of that nature."

"And now, I know my father expects me to join him in supporting Voldemort, while Professor Snape wants me to join the Order of the Pheonix." I sighed wearily, "But I'm so confused. The only reason I would consider it is because of my mother. She wants me to join my father, but I could save her if I joined the Order. That's why I'm here, at this resort. It's to think. To decide."

Hermione was silent for a long time. Then she wordlessly moved over beside me, wrapping her arms around me, pulling me into a comforting hug. I hugged her back and neither of us said a word because no words were needed.

"I'm sorry Draco." She whispered, and pulled back a little to kiss me on my forehead.

* * *

**REVIEW! We have the next chapter and we are holding it ransom, so if you want us to post follow these directions. First: Review, Second: Eat chocolate!**

**No, just kidding about the second one. Enjoy!**


	7. More than Friendship?

**YAY! Thanks to everyone who voted on the poll. We will continue to leave it open for more votes but we promised a treat so here it is. Go check out the poll to find out what we'll be writing next (it's on our profile at the top.)**

**Disclamier: (School has sucked the life out of us so you'll have to insert somthing here about JK's unimaginable torture inflicted on us because we're continuously trying to steal her characters.)**

* * *

Chapter Seven: More Than Friendship?

Hermione

We walked next to each other in silence. After dropping the picnic basket and the blanket off at my cabin, we decided to go into town and get a movie to watch later in the evening. Only we hadn't spoken really since I'd kissed his forehead.

I don't know why I had done that. It was just an 'in the moment' thing. Thankfully Draco hadn't pushed me away or said, 'Oooookay freak, get away.' So it wasn't a complete waste.

Regardless, the lack of talking was driving me nuts.

"What kind of movie do you want to get?" I blurted out as the movie rental store came into view. He thought about and as I waited the almost awkward scene from before.

_Draco helped me pack up the picnic after the long hug. We didn't say anything to each other as we walked back to the cabins. When we were near, he finally spoke up._

"_Do you want to get a movie tonight or something?" he asked softly._

"_Sure," I smiled a little, "Just let me drop this stuff off at my cabin." He nodded and we did just that, not speaking at all as we went in to town._

"How about, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I heard some muggles talking about it and it sounded interesting." He held the door open for me and I beamed at him. Chivalry is not dead!

"Sounds fine to me," I led the way over to the counter where I asked the clerk to point us in the right direction. While we were searching the shelves, the click-click of heels grew louder and louder behind us.

"Draco!" a voice exclaimed. A voice belonging to someone I did _not_ like. We both turned to find Elira in a black leather mini-skirt, thigh-high leather boots, and a leather jacket over a tight white baby-tee. I glared at her and she ignored me, turning to Draco. It's better that way. I may have whipped out my wand and cursed her on the spot.

"So, my lovely man," she purred. Oh that _almost_ did it. I scowled as she stroked Draco's cheek, "How about we get together tonight, hm?"

"No thanks," Draco said without hesitation, taking a step back from her to stand beside me. He placed a hand gently on the small of my back and I fought off a blush. He smiled at her, "I have plans with Hermione already."

Elira's eyes narrowed and her gaze flicked between us before focusing on me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. But they don't so I just glared right back, tempted to give her crazy eyes (1).

But I didn't. And I'm proud of myself.

"Fine. Be that way," she sniffed, turning to go, "Though I don't see why a gorgeous pureblood like you would hang around a filthy Mudblooded squib offspring like her."

Draco stiffened beside me, "Shut the hell up, Elira, if you know what's good for you," he snarled, "Hermione isn't any of those. She's ten times better than you in every aspect."

I almost fainted on the spot. I even swayed a bit, but his hand pressed against my back, steadying me. Elira turned back to glare at us before stomping out of the store. Draco muttered angrily under his breath and turned back to the shelf, snatching up two random movies.

"Let's go," he snapped.

I clamped my mouth shut and nodded, tottering along behind him as he went to pay the clerk. Well, I thought, he certainly has better control over his anger than his father.

Draco

I set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table as Hermione fiddled with the DVD player. I had requested her fix it up, seeing as I had no clue how to work the damn muggle contraption. She sat beside me on the couch with the remote and turned it on, the previews blaring brightly and loudly in the dark.

"This is annoying and stupid…" I muttered as random scenes flickered across the screen. "It's like they're trying to ruin the movie before it happens."

Hermione laughed, "Noooooo, that's how they draw people in," she threw some popcorn in her mouth, "I rather like the previews."

"Oh…" I watched, somewhat bored as the announcer blabbed about how the 'now on DVD' would be a great gift. Then Hermione gasped.

"What?" I turned to blink at her, seeing surprise and border-line horror on her face.

"My birthday is tomorrow…" she whispered. "I can't believe I forgot it…"

I slapped her arm gently and she jumped, staring at me, "MERLIN woman! How can you forget your own _birthday_?!"

She shrugged, "It just didn't cross my mind."

I frowned in concentration, "How shall we celebrate?"

"We won't." she turned back to the tv.

"Oh, yes. We will," I said evilly before following her example as the actual movie started.

Hermione

We were about halfway through the movie, Titanic, when I was suddenly very cold. Draco had been captivated by the muggle movie and was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. I almost giggled at his expression; eyes wide and mouth agape. I shook my head and shivered again. Watching Titanic always made me cold.

Draco suddenly stood and walked out. I snatched up the remote and paused the movie, "What are you doing?" I called.

He returned a minute later with a large, thick blanket. I blinked at him as he stopped and threw the blanket on the back of the couch. He beckoned with a finger, "Up, woman."

I rolled my eyes, but stood nonetheless, wondering what he was going to do. He picked up the blanket and wrapped me up in it like a taco before picking me up and sitting down on the couch and putting me beside him with his arm around my shoulder. I settled against him and then realized my arms were trapped and the remote was on the table.

"Um…Draco?" I squeaked.

"Hn?"

"You have to push play."

"Uh…I do?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes. Pick up the remote. Now see the little triangle button? Push that."

He pushed a button and the screen went black. "NO!" I yelled, "Not that button!"

"Well sorry! It was red…"

"SO?!" I struggled against my bonds, "I said the _triangle_! You never listen to me!"

I could see him pushing a button rapidly, "It's not working!!"

"That's because you have to turn it _on_!" I huffed. Draco paused and started to chuckle. I blinked up at him, "What?"

He grinned down at me. "You made a pun."

"I did?" I was confused.

"Uh…never mind." He smiled and started pushing random buttons on the remote. I closed my eyes and counted to ten.

"Draco."

"What?"

"Listen to my words."

"Okay."

I squirmed around a bit in my taco, "Push the red button. Then push the button that says 'menu'."

He did what I said, surprisingly. Yay. I turned to stare at the screen, "Now move over to scene selection…NO NOT LANGUAGE YOU RETARD! Hit back. No not, Spanish. Choose English. Very good. Now SCENE SELECTION! Hear me? Merlin…okay, now go over to the…um..twenties I guess. Yes, _very good Dracey-wacey_. Don't give me that look! Put the highlight thingy on box 28. YES! Now push OK!"

Silence…

"SUCCESS!" We bellowed together, laughing and ignoring the movie. He grinned at me.

"Great leadership skills, captain," he laughed and kissed me on the cheek, I blushed and looked back to the tv, a bit aggravated because I couldn't move.

-x-x-x-x-x-

We were almost to the part where Jack lets go and dies. I always hate that part. It makes me cry. I didn't want to cry in front of Draco. Don't ask me why, I just didn't.

Aw man I'm crying.

I turned away a bit so he couldn't see my face but apparently I failed because Draco's fingers touched my chin and turned me up to look at him. He frowned.

"Why are you crying, Hermione?" he asked quietly.

"Because," I sniffed , "They love each other but can't be together."

He smiled sadly and wiped away my tears with his thumb. His arm tightened around my shoulder and he leaned down, pressing his lips gently against mine. I froze as my breath caught in my throat and dizziness washed over me. I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

And just like that it was over. He pulled back and settled against the couch again. I snuggled against him with a smile playing across my lips.

Draco

After Titanic had ended, Hermione instructed me on how to switch out the DVD's, which took about thirty minutes of us play-yelling at each other. Eventually, though, I got it right, and with a sense of triumph, I sat back down on the couch. Hermione cuddled against me as I used the remote thingy correctly, hitting play this time instead of the power button.

The movie was called Biodome, a comedy about two friends who get stuck in a contained environment for an entire year. So far I had thought it was hilarious but Hermione was dozing off. Apparently it didn't 'tickle her fancy'.

After about fifteen minutes of silence from her, I looked down and realized she was asleep. I smiled and turned the tv off, glad I didn't accidentally bump up the volume or blow it up.

I carefully lifted her into my arms and carried her into my bedroom, where I set her down gently on the bed. Then I tucked her in, grabbed an extra blanket from the hall closet, and curled up on the couch, to grab what little of the night I had left. Though the memory of me kissing her kept me for another hour.

* * *

(1) **Genie:** Crazy eyes are a little somethin-somethin my friend came up with. When someone is staring at you and you want them to look away, you close your eyes and then open them, completely spazzing out and contorting your features to something freaky and grotesque. It's absolutely hilarious when you do it to someone and they're like OMG FREAK! And then you laugh at them. **Lera:** I freaked when she did it to me the first time.

**Keep a lookout for the next chapter...things are starting to get heated. Bwahahahhhahahhahaa...**


	8. Birthday Wishes

**Disclaimer: (Is tired. Insert witty comments here about stealing and JK and Draco and Hermione and...)**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Birthday Wishes

Hermione

I woke up to an AWFUL smell. My nose scrunched up and I buried my head under the covers, trying to block out the putrid aroma. The blankets smelled earthy with a slight cinnamon undertone. And that's when I realized I wasn't in my own bed. I sat up and looked around, blinking. The room I was in looked like it was my room, but a stray pair of boxers hanging out of the drawers assured me I was elsewhere. I blushed as I remembered movie night last night.

Crawling out of Draco's bed, which sounds so wrong, I followed my nose into the kitchen, adjusting my bra which had…well…moved around. I stared at Draco's back as he fiddled with a pan and cursed loudly. I bit back a giggle and walked over beside him.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He jumped and turned to me, surprise etched across his blushing face. He wore a stained white apron that said 'Kiss the Cook'. I raised an eyebrow after reading it and he blushed even more. Wow, I thought and looked away with a smile, I didn't know he could be so adorable.

"This stupid shit-face pan won't work right! I want to just break the damn thing!" he growled. I snorted as he ruined the 'adorable' moment.

"Let me help, then," I offered. He glared at me.

"NO." he pointed to a chair, "Sit down. I'm cooking today."

I sat, too intimidated to argue. I cocked my head as he mussed with the pan and checked a cook book beside him, "What time is it?"

"About nine-thirty, I think."

"Ah…" I tapped my fingers and looked around, "Thanks for the blanket and letting me spend the night."

"No problem," he said without moving from the stove, "God I can't get this right…I've been up since 5:30…and every pancake comes out wrong!"

"Wait to flip it until the bubbles start popping," I smiled and laid my head down, still sleepy. "And did you even get any sleep?"

"…No. Ah-HA! SUCCESS!" I stood up and scuttled over to peek at the pancake. It was lumpy and shaped funny, but it was done perfectly; a lovely golden brown.

That's when I saw the trash can next to him half full with pancakes ranging from bloppy and raw to black as coal. I snorted and sat down again, shaking my head. Draco brought the pancake on a plate to me and made a face, setting it before me with syrup. I put a little on and took a bite.

"Sooooo?" he looked like a kid about to open a mystery present.

"Iz vury grood," I managed to say through my mouthful. He grinned and marched triumphantly back to the stove.

Honestly, it was mediocre. But who am I to rain on his parade? I ate every pancake he offered out of the goodness of my heart, and soon we had consumed the whole batch.

"So now what?" I asked as I drained my milk, "You need to take a nap?"

"No," he laughed, "I'm fine. I've pulled all-nighters before. And I'm taking you into the city that's not far from here to buy you books and clothes for your birthday."

I opened my mouth to protest but he held up his hand for silence, "No. I don't care what you think or say, we're going."

Draco

Hermione had looked so…serene in the bookstore. We'd spent two hours there with her looking through different volumes and ended up getting five. At first she'd only had one picked out, but I went to a different isle, I think it had said karma sutra or something like that. picked a few books out at random and started stacking them in her arms. "If you're not going to pick them out I'll pick them out for you." She paled then blushed and placing the random books back went and got a few more…suitable ones.

Now we were at H&M to buy her new clothes for a secret plan I had for later. I had already shoved several shirts, pants, skirts and dresses into her arms and pushed her into a changing room. I was waiting for her to come out and show me one of the outfits I had given her, but she was taking forever.

"Draco…" Hermione's voice floated out from behind the curtain, "I don't know if this is going to work…"

"Oh, shut up and get out here," I laughed. She stepped out, shuffling her feet and my brain went blank. She looked…hot.

Her top was a close fitting black vest-shirt and her pants were baggy and had an almost camo design in various grays and blacks. Dainty toes wiggled as she squirmed under my scrutinizing eyes.

"That's great!" I exclaimed, walking a circle around her, "Nice fit. Put that in the yes pile."

"We're done already?" she asked, surprised. I laughed again.

"Not even close," I pushed her back towards the changing room, "Put on something else."

She pouted and shuffled back into the room. I sat back down in the chair. Honestly, I was exhausted. I leaned my head back against the wall and was about to doze off when the curtain opened again. Hermione stepped out in a white, puffy sleeved shirt covered by a blue half-vest. She wore a blue skirt that reached a little below mid-thigh that poofed out due to its lacy underskirt.

I wrinkled my nose, "No. It had looked good on the hanger but that is not your style. Next!"

She raised an eyebrow, "How do you know what my style is?"

"I'm good at reading people," I got up with a shrug and shoved her back into the dressing room. Closing the curtain, I went back to my chair. "Now, next outfit!" I called out to her.

I stretched out in my chair and really was dozing by the time she game out again. I felt my breath catch in my throat. 'She's so cute…damn I can't wait for tonight.'

The light pink spaghetti strap shirt had a v-neck and silver embroidery at the bottom that complimented the silver band cinched right below her breasts. The dark wash jeans reached mid-calf and the high heel sandals had pink ribbons that crossed over her feet and wrapped around her ankles.

"I think this is my favorite," Hermione said, breaking me from my trance. She did a little twirl and sauntered back into the room.

'Mine too,' I smiled and leaned back again.

It didn't take long for her to change into the next outfit. She wore a black halter top that was form fitting around the waist and slightly loose on the top. The stone washed capris hugged her hips and thighs. She was barefoot at the moment, but some black heels I had seen earlier would match perfectly.

"Turn," I commanded, waving my hand. She did a little twirl and showed me the back. Three different sized silver rings accented her back, lying between her shoulder blades, and the jeans clung to her sweet butt.

"You're wearing that on our date tonight," I glanced up at the clock. 'Wow,' I thought, 'it's late!' "Which we need to go get ready for."

"Date?!" Hermione squeaked, shocked, "What date?"

"Eh…the appointment I set up for tonight," I got up and started walking away, "Change and I'll be back in a minute."

Hermione

When I stepped out of the dressing room, a pair of strappy black stilettos were shoved under my nose.

"Put these on," Draco commanded. I sighed and moved over to a chair after putting the 'no' clothes on the discard rack. I kicked off my shoes and slipped on the heels. When I stood and walked around, I was surprised to find them very comfortable.

"Wow! These fit perfectly!" I exclaimed before turning to face him, "How did you know my size? I didn't give it to you…"

Draco smiled and shrugged, slowly approaching me, "I told you; I can read people."

"Really?" I teased sarcastically, raising an eyebrow, "Are you gay? 'Cause no guy is that good."

He was suddenly right in front of me, pushing me back against the wall. His thigh pressed between my legs so he was straddling my left thigh. Trailing his left hand against my hip and waist, he leaned towards me, supporting himself with a fist and forearm against the wall. He bent his head until his lips were no more than an inch from mine.

"If I was gay…" he murmured, breath hot on my face, "then why did I kiss you last night?"

Before I could form a response, let alone a coherent thought, Draco pushed away from me and stalked off to the front of the store after grabbing the clothes we were buying. I stared at the back of his retreating head, a blush burning my face.

I sat down and began pulling off the stilettos so I could put my shoes back on. I heard a slight crinkle as the parchment in my back pocket bent. It was the poem Draco had started. I hadn't expected him to write back, but he did.

_A simple token of my peace  
Something I know little of  
I simply wished to see you smile  
And see you watch the stars above_

The words wrapped around in my head, taking on so much more meaning than they would have if yesterday hadn't happened.

"Hey! Mione! We're running out of time." Draco called, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Coming, coming." I called back, shoving my feet into my shoes and following him to the register.


	9. Into the Night

**OK! Finally, we've got another chapter. -sweatdrop- Sorry about the wait everyone. We've been really busy lately and haven't really had time to write. Don't worry, we've started the next chapter as well.**

**WARNING TO EVERYONE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A LEMON! For those that don't know what a lemon is, it means that it will be a sex scene. If you don't wish to read it, please feel free to skip over it. We will be writing chapter 11 in such a way that if you wish to skip chapter 10 (THE LEMON) you won't miss out on any of the major plot or interesting information such as that. **

**Disclaimer: We don't own the characters. And Kudos to all the musicians mentioned. Especially Nickleback and Santana, because their song Into the Night (see title) inspired this scene.**

**Thanks for the support peeps.**

**Lera and Genie**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Into the Night

Hermione

I stood before the hallway mirror nervously. I had no clue where Draco was taking me tonight, especially dressed like this. I mean, it's not like I was fancy or anything, but the form-fitting halter and jeans. And the heels…hoo-boy. I did a practice twirl and dance in them. I could move alright, so I guess they were fine. Especially since they were uber comfortable.

Which worried me. Gorgeous and comfort in shoes do not mix inexpensively. Draco wouldn't tell me how much he spent on my earlier. I glanced at the clock; almost seven-thirty, time to go. I took a deep breath, wondering why I felt nervous. Before leaving for Draco's cabin, however, I snatched up the piece of parchment that had the poem on it from my bed.

When he opened the door, Draco wasn't exactly ready and I blushed. "You gonna put a shirt on, then?" I asked as he stepped back and let me in. He was wearing dark, tight fitting jeans and black shoes. I was guessing he'd just gotten out of the shower, seeing as droplets of water clung to his chest and hair, causing the snowy golden locks to cling to his head. 'Wow', I thought, 'he is actually gorgeous when he isn't scowling.'

"Um, yeah, sorry I got carried away in the shower," He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck after closing the door. "Have a seat in the den and I'll finish getting ready."

I nodded and slipped into the small living room to wait on the love seat. On the coffee table was a small, intricately hand carved jewelry box. A clever plan formed in my mind and I pulled out the poem parchment. I was just opening the jewelry box when I heard footsteps. I jerked back and hid the paper between my legs just as Draco stuck his head in the doorway, smiling shyly at me.

"I meant to say, you look really…great tonight," he grinned and hurried away before I could say anything back. I blushed and slipped the parchment into the jewelry box, leaving the corner showing out under the lid.

Five minutes later Draco once again appeared in the doorway, this time fully clothed. For some odd reason my breath caught in my throat. He was wearing a perfectly fitting white button-up shirt with a dark brown leather jacket. His hair was messy, yet neat. Honestly, he looked great.

"You clean up good," I smiled, making my over to him, "Where are we going, by the way?"

Draco

We apparated into the city where we went shopping earlier. After dinner at a nice restaurant I had found while window shopping, I led the way to a club, though Hermione didn't know that.

"Where are we going?" she asked for the fifth time.

"Just relax," I laughed, "You'll see soon enough."

When we rounded the corner of the last block before the club, Hermione actually gasped. "We aren't going there are we?"

"Yes," I smiled and led her past the long line to the front door, where I nodded at the bouncer. He stepped back, letting us past and I held the door open for Hermione. When we stepped into the main room, Fer Sure by Medic Droid was playing. It was one of my favorite songs.

"I love this song!" Hermione cried out, and immediately started singing along and dancing, "Fuck me in the back seat, fuck me in the back seat!"

"Okay," I said quietly. "OW!" A sudden sharp pain shot through my arm where she hit me. Hard.

She glared at me before grinning and slipping off to the dance floor. I wanted to watch her go, but I followed her instead, preferring the option of dancing with her than just spectating.

Once on the dance floor, I grabbed her hand, spinning her around a few times before pulling her close to me and, taking her by the hips, moving our bodies together with the music. She was surprisingly an excellent dancer.

Forty minutes later I just had to take a break. I told Hermione I was going to get a drink and sit down at one of the tables for a few minutes.

"Okay!" she called back over another Medic Droid song. I nodded and made my way to the bar, ordering a coke and rum before taking a seat where I could watch Hermione. When the song was close to ending she slipped over to my table.

"I'm gonna keep dancing, I'm not tired!" she yelled before snatching up my drink and taking a long drink. That's when a man came over to the table. He had dark, messy hair and black eyes. Tall and lean, he was very attractive. For a guy that is.

"Hey, do you want to dance with me?" he asked Hermione. She swallowed her mouthful of drink and set down the glass, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm Hermione!" she shook his hand and he held onto hers.

"I'm Harold," he smiled warmly.

"Oh my God…" I growled, rolling my eyes. Not only did he look like Potter, he had a similar name.

"It's a pleasure to meet an appealing woman such as yourself," Harold's gaze shifted to my face, "Especially one who seems so happy to dance with me. I'm honored."

Bastard. I rubbed my temple with my middle finger before turning back to my drink. The next time I looked up Hermione was dancing with Marigold or whatever his name was. Very close. I sneered at them, noticing the song Into the Night by Nickelback and Santana. Irony…how I hate it.

Half way through the song I said fuck it, slamming my second drink and marching out onto the dance floor. "E'scuse me," I practically shoved Mary out of the way, turning to Hermione, leaning into her hair, wrapping my arm around her from behind.

"Ready to be with a _real_ man?" I whispered huskily into her ear, letting my breath barely graze it. She shivered and started to pull away but I slipped my hands into her jean pockets, pulling her closer, "No no, you're not going anywhere."

"What about me?" Suzy cried out, obviously mad I stole his dance partner.

Hermione looked over at him, "Thanks but I'm good now."

I ignored him with her and concentrated on dancing, moving my right arm and wrapping it around her shoulders while my left arm remained snaked around her waist, hand in the right-front pocket. Hermione moved her hands to rest on my thighs, occasionally stroking me as we swayed together.


	10. LEMON!

**WARNING! This chapter is a LEMON! If you don't want to read it, sorry but you'll have to wait for Chappie Eleven k? And we are soooo sorry it's taken so long to get this posted! Genie has been slacking off with Hermione's part...eep. So, we hope you enjoy. And if it's confuzzling, whoopsie-doopsie cause we wrote this at several different points in time. XD R&R lovelies!!**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: LEMON**

Draco

We danced until it was really late, or early, not sure because I'm a little tipsy and I don't care about time. Hermione was leaning on me, giggling insanely. I fumbled with my keys because I was tired and drunk. Yeah, that's it. I had to be drunk.

I pushed the door open and quickly closed it behind Hermione, grabbing her arm as she passed. I practically slung her around and threw her up against the wall, kissing her passionately. She didn't protest, even kissed me back.

Which, of course, pushed me on. And gave me a bit of a, well you know. Raising the flag! Dang I'm drunk.

She scratched her nails down my back to the hem of my shirt, bringing me back to the situation at hand. I ground my hips into her, pressing her harder against the wall. She moaned softly and I flicked my tongue against her lips, begging her to play.

She parted her lips slowly and I jumped at the opportunity, invading her mouth and massaging her tongue with mine. I ran my hands down her arms, gently tracing her sides. Grasping her hips I pulled her up the wall, pressing our bodies together to keep her there. She clung to me with her legs around my waist and threaded her fingers into my hair. I wrapped my left arm under her to hold her up and slipped my right hand slowly up her shirt, tracing the lines of her soft smooth body. She gasped at the cool touch. I smirked as I traced the skin just below her breasts, while gently kissing down her neck and nipping at her collar. She leaned her head down and nipped at my neck and ear. I hissed in air and pressed my now very apparent erection against her.

"What're you going to do about it?" I growled, gazing into her lust filled eyes, my lips centimeters from hers. She answered by crushing her lips against mine and pulling me close. I wrapped my arms around her and stepped away from the wall to walk towards the bedroom.

I laid her gently on the bed, pushing her into the quilt below with a passionate kiss. "You're mine." I whispered in her ear while slipping both my hands down her chest, squeezing her breasts gently.

Hermione

I gasped as Draco slipped his hands up my shirt, pushing it off. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, eager to pull his off as well. He quickly sat up and pulled it off for me with nimble fingers. Without moving his gaze from my face he tossed them both to the floor, causing the muscles of his toned chest to ripple appealingly. I ran my hands down his chest and stomach to his pants, marveling at the sheer beauty of his body. I began to unbuckle his belt, but he threaded his fingers through mine and pinned my arms to the bed, kissing me deeply.

"Not yet," he whispered.

"Why?" I murmured, frustrated that he was being so difficult. His response was to kiss me hard on the mouth before trailing feather-light kisses down my neck and across my breasts. For once I was happy I hadn't been wearing a bra.

Draco sat back, straddling my legs and studied my body, "God Hermione…" he whispered, "You're so beautiful. Why couldn't I admit that all these years?"

I didn't know how to answer him, so I didn't. Instead I concentrated on keeping my breathing to a minimum, though that was difficult enough as he began kissing a trail between my breasts down to 

the edge of my pants. He quickly unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them off, discarding them without a second thought.

His lips brushed against my right nipple as he trailed his fingers between my legs and over my panties. I gasped and then moaned slightly when he began to rub me gently and bite softly on my sensitive nipple. His free hand found my lonely breast and started to massage it, synching rhythm with the hand between my legs. I clutched his shoulders and instinctively arched my back a bit, begging for more.

He released my breasts and slowly kissed his way down my chest and stomach, flicking his hot tongue against my skin occasionally, sending chills down my spine. Gently pushing my thighs apart, he kissed the insides of them, working his way up while slowly pulling my panties off with his fingertips.

"Draco," I whispered, suddenly nervous. Moment later we were face to face again, his right hand stroking my hair.

"Hermione," he murmured, kissing me softly several times, "It's okay." He kissed me again, this time more passionately. I was so caught up in the feel of the kiss I hardly noticed him slip my panties off with his other hand.

I didn't protest this time when he pushed my legs apart and touched me, grazing the sensitive skin ever so softly before rubbing a bit. He began to play with my clit and flit about my entrance, almost as if he was teasing me. It was so frustrating that I growled, biting down on his neck. Doing so earned a satisfied moan from him and he slowly pushed his index finger into me.

Covering my mouth with his, Draco gently moved his finger inside me, first touching the bottom of my right at the entrance. I shuddered as he stroked the sensitive spot a few times before pushing deeper in, twisting his fingers to hit the sides; another horribly pleasurable spot.

Kissing me more passionately than ever, and making me dizzy, he pushed his finger all the way in and touched me far in the back, earning a cry from deep in my throat. I had to open my eyes and clench my fists to fight off…something. I couldn't explain what it was, but it felt so good.

I was disappointed when he extracted his had from between my legs, but didn't have time to mope as he trailed his hot tongue down my neck, between my breasts, over my stomach and between my legs where he licked a line from beneath my entrance up to my bellybutton. When he moved back down and rubbed my clit with his tongue I gasped and began to breathe a bit faster.

After teasing me a bit more, he entered me with his tongue, probing the same spot located just at the entrance. I moaned loudly and bit my lip, trying not to sound like an idiot. I couldn't stop myself, though, as he licked deeper, moving his powerful tongue back and forth to hit the side spots.

I was gasping for air when he pulled out and sat up, licking his lips with dark eyes. I blinked up at him, unable to form a coherent thought or sentence.

Draco leaned forward over me and removed his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. I watched with curiosity as he opened it and dug around a bit before pulling out a condom.

"You planned on this?" I asked breathlessly, finally finding my voice. He gave me a serious look and tossed his wallet off to the side and set the condom on the bed beside me.

"It's always there," he murmured, quickly removing his pants and boxers. "Just in case. It's better to not need it and have it, then need it and not have it." I nodded in agreement as I studied his hardened erection and was extremely turned on.

Draco then opened the packet and skillfully slipped the condom on before leaning down to kiss me. "Ready?" he asked in a husky voice. I nodded and leaned up to accept another kiss but gasped instead as he pushed his erection into me.

Blinding pain washed over my body as it felt like I was being ripped in two. A cry escaped my lips before I could clamp my mouth shut. I closed my eyes as tears spilled down my cheeks. Draco froze.

"Hermione!" He cried out, "You're a virgin?!"

I nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me? Oh my GOD!" I could hear the panic in his voice and he started to pull out.

"No…" I whimpered. He paused and I took a deep breath, adding in a rush, "If I didn't want you I would have told you not to. I want you to be my first, I want you to…have my flower, as they say."

For a long while neither of us moved. Which was fine with me, I was trying to get over the pain. Eventually Draco laid his head against my neck, his warm breath tickling me.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me if and when you want me to continue…" he whispered.

"Draco," I murmured, taking his face in my hands and making him look at me. I kissed him softly and smiled feebly, "Please continue…"

He couldn't hide the dark flash of lust that sparked into his eyes. He nodded and leaned down, kissing me a bit more roughly as he pulled out before pushing back in, being carful so as not to hurt me. I moaned against his mouth as the pain faded a bit and pleasure began to wash over me.

Tangling my fingers in his soft hair, I arched my back, begging for more as I nibbled his bottom lip. Draco complied, increasing the rhythm. I wrapped my arms around his waist, gasping for air as he bit and kissed his way down my neck.

I felt a steady pressure building inside me while his thrusting rhythm faltered and his eyes closed, lost in the feeling. I cried out his name when a blinding wave of pleasure slammed into my body in mind. For a few moments I was completely unaware of Draco and anything else but the feelings that overwhelmed me.

Eventually, I vaguely heard Draco yell out my own name, but I didn't care. I just closed my eyes and relaxed completely as he pulled out of me and collapsed beside me, pulling me into his embrace. I cuddled up to him and kissed the hollow of his throat before allowing sleep to overtake me as Draco rubbed my back and hummed a song by The Used.

* * *

**Kudos to all that notice the allusion. XD Note it and we'll give you a treat. :) Lera and Genie  
**


	11. Level of Comfort

**Once again sorry about the wait. Genie has hit a roadblock in her writing life at the moment and is going through a lot of things. So I'm (Lera) putting this section up to let everyone know we're not dead. Genie will have her section up when she can, but please give her a break, things are tough right now. Thanks for everyone's support. I'm sorry about not responding to reviews and such as well I've been busy with college. I'll be getting to those as soon as I can.**

**WARNING!!! There is slight nudity...well yes they are but they're covered up at the same time. GAH!! You get what I mean. We don't talk about the actual sex. You got that in chapter 10, this one's fairly clean.  
**

**Disclaimer: Ownage of the characters there is not. JK Rowling is the shiznips!!! She created them and owns them. Woots to her!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Level of Comfort

Draco

I stood up from the large bed, stretching my muscles. Looking back at Hermione's beautiful sleeping form illuminated by the silver moonlight streaming through the window, I leaned down and softly kissed her cheek. I quietly left the room, closing the door gently behind me.

I rubbed my hand down my face. 'I need a fag.'

Not bothering to turn on the lights I walked to the coffee table in the den. Opening my mother's music box, I reached in only to be blocked by a piece of parchment. 'Clever girl.' I smiled, pulling it out I picked up the cigarettes and my lighter with my other hand. I exited the cabin, walking out onto the smooth wooden porch in nothing but my boxers. The moon was almost full, hanging in the dark depths of a nearly starless sky.

I placed the cigarette between my lips and lit it up, the fire lighting my face for a mere moment before receiving a quick death with the click of the lighter closing. Opening the parchment I read what she wrote.

_Such a kind and simple gesture  
That of which you gave to me,  
You gently touched my hidden heart,  
When I thought you couldn't see_

Holding the cig gently between my fingers I blew out a puff of smoke into the never ending heavens above. Leaning against the railing I contemplated what happened. 'I wasn't drunk last night. I know I wasn't. It takes a lot more than what I had to get me drunk. I knew exactly what I was doing. She was so beautiful and I just couldn't help myself.'

I leaned my head against the post and replayed the recent events through my mind. I felt my face drain of color and a sudden cold wash over me. 'SHIT! Damn it, she was a virgin. Shitshitshit! I should have pulled away. I should have asked! I shouldn't have done that. Son of a Bitch! What if she regrets it? What if she really was drunk and won't remember it? She'll wake up naked and sore, she'll figure it out easy. She's a smart girl and then, she'll blame me! She'll say that I convinced her to do it. She'll hate me again! She might even claim I raped her!! What the hell have I done? How could I be so stupid?' I slammed my fist down on the railing, getting a splinter in the process. I gritted against the pain. 'I don't even know if I'm the enemy or not! I have no Fucking clue what I'm doing with my life! Now I've possibly destroyed one chance I had at figuring out what I want from all of this!' I felt tears starting to form and one slipped down my cheek. I punched the post and felt a knuckle split as one caught the corner of the wood. I gripped the railing and let the tears run their course, refusing to make a sound.

Snuffing out the cigarette I had dropped in my temper, I gathered the things and walked back into the house. Heading for the kitchen, flicking on the light as I went, I put all the objects on the island, and shuffled through a drawer for a needle and some tweezers so I could dig out the splinter before it became infected. Finally I found them and opened the cabinet above to pull down a band-aid and the Hydrogen Peroxide so I could sterilize the needle and my knuckle.

Turning back to the island, I sat on a stool and before I could begin I noticed a pen next to the parchment. 'Talk about coincidences.' I stared at the pen a moment longer before picking it up and opening the parchment. I didn't know what I was going to write but I put the pen to the parchment anyways.

It was hard to put all my emotions into that one little stanza, but I had to. She'd never know any other way. Once I had finished I still needed to write for myself. Shuffling through drawers again I found a piece of paper and sat down to write once more.

_Fairies play harps and Imps the fiddles  
Make me dance along the narrow path  
Singing in alien harmony  
Wary step young one  
We've played this game longer than you  
If I could stop I would  
Take back the steps I've made  
Close my ears  
Dance to a different tune_

_The words are there  
But I can't seem to grasp them  
What am I trying to say?  
Emotions cannot be explained  
Let the aching heart cry  
As the dry brook lies  
Beneath the withered weeping willow_

_It doesn't matter how I change the clock  
I can't bottle time  
To alter the past of stone  
Forward on the narrow path, dancing _(1)

I heard shuffling in the hallway and quickly folded the parchment once more, tossing it on the counter as if it had always been there and shoved the paper back in the drawer. I picked up the needle hastily and looked up just as Hermione rounded the corner. I felt a deep blush slowly creep across my face and my breath quicken with my beating heart as my wide eyes took in the awe inspiring spectacle before me.

She stood, clad in nothing but the deep crimson sheet from the bed scandalously wrapped around her plump cream colored chest and draping down to trail on the floor behind her, a slit where the sheet met itself once again revealed a dainty foot and gentle curve of her leg. She clutched at the sheet with long delicate fingers holding it, barely, in place. Her silky lush brown hair cascaded down across her shoulders, and fell in soft disheveled curls around her lightly blushed cheeks. She gently bit her lower lip, causing it to redden to a deeper rose color, as she stared vulnerably at me with deep brown eyes through her long lashes.

"Draco?" Her soft voice brought me out of my trance. "Your hurt."

The concern in her voice came as a surprise. It meant she still cared for me, after what had happened. The fact that she had come into the room stated that she wasn't repulsed by me. She didn't blame me for what happened. 'Then again…does she remember?'

"Um…Yeah. I accidentally got a splinter." I stumbled on the words, holding up my hand for her to see. Her brows furrowed and she crossed over to me, taking my hand gently and holding it in the light so she could get a better look.

She hissed in through her teeth, "That's a big one and it's in deep," then she turned my hand over noticing the bruised busted weeping knuckles "and that's going to get infected if not taken care of soon." She shook her head and motioned to the stool, taking the needle from me, sitting on the other stool across from me, the blanket slipping dangerously low allowing me a glance at the secrets it kept tucked away within its folds.

Suddenly I felt a sharp stab of pain in my right hand and looked over on the counter to see Hermione digging out the splinter with diligence. I glanced at her face, noting that her hair was tucked behind her ears. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and she bit at her lip again, concern and determination filled her eyes. As I watched her an idea formed in my mind on how to tell if she remembered last night, or at least wasn't bothered by it.

"Hermione," I leaned close to her, gently taking her chin in my left hand, turning her towards me. I stared deeply into her eyes, loosing myself to their infinite depths. "Thank you." I whispered, before taking her lips with mine, kissing her with tenderness. To my surprise, she kissed me back, just as tenderly with a hint of passion. I trailed my hand across her jaw line and down her neck, following back along her spine until I could wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me, deepening our kiss.

And in that moment of perfection, I realized my decision had been made. I knew which path I was going to end up taking all along. As the kiss broke, I glanced out the window in time to see the first rays of sunlight announcing a new day. I smiled. 'Coincidence indeed.'

* * *

**(1) If you want to see the entire completed poem I have posted it. Trust me it's a LOT better! I've posted it as Midnight Hallucinations! Thanks!  
**

**Rate and Review. We love you all!!!! -heart heart heart-  
**


End file.
